Monday, March 16, 2015

Smile and Grin at the Change All Around Me

Since the Freedom of Information Act was passed, only one office in the White House has responded to requests to disclose information to the public or media. Late in his term, President George W. Bush changed that policy, and President Obama has now made that change permanent.

He did so during what is called "Sunshine Week," a time set aside annually to celebrate the 1966 law and the way it opened up federal government records and paved the way for similar laws in most states. In fact, the rule change is being announced on that week's National Freedom of Information Day itself.

And as the USA Today story notes, the administration also waived its 30-day public comment rule, meaning the new policy goes into effect immediately.

The post title is from The Who's great "Won't Get Fooled Again," whose title is all too often untrue. But those who voted for President Obama might feel more comfortable with the question Johnny Rotten posed to the audience at the end of the Sex Pistols' American tour in January 1978: "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"

Since I did actually cast a vote for the president -- back in my state's 2008 presidential primaries when I was still a Democrat and he was still pretending to be a different kind of politician -- I think I'll answer, "Yes."